“Is there a light?” she whispered, wondering when the staircase would end.
“I don’t think so.” He squeezed her hand. “But we’re nearly there.”
“Where?”
AJ chuckled. “Nowhere.”
The stairs ended, and stone clapped against the bottoms of her sandals. “What is this place?” Tiny points of light overhead—like cracks in the ceiling—illuminated a large room. The temperature was cool, a good twenty degrees lower than the midday warmth of the palace.
“Your guess is as good as mine. No one’s used it in years. Vanu and I used to sneak out of the palace this way.”
Cold fear trickled through her and she glanced over her shoulder. She could easily picture Vanu haunting a dim, subterranean space like this.
If he was even dead. The reporter’s question from earlier nagged at her brain. Yes, it did unsettle her that they hadn’t found a body. How could it not? Sometimes it seemed he was everywhere, his cold, wheedling voice in her head, criticizing everything she did.
She squeezed AJ’s strong, warm hand. “Where does it bring you out?”
“You won’t believe me if I tell you.” Their shoes clicked along over the stone tiles as they headed farther and farther from the palace. The room narrowed again into a passageway, and Lani was alarmed by a roaring sound that grew louder as they walked.
She glanced up at AJ and saw his amused grin in the scant light from above. The thin strands of light became fainter until the corridor was almost pitch-black and the roar overhead boomed like the New York City subway. If AJ wasn’t boldly leading the way, she’d have turned and run back to the palace long ago. They rounded a corner and a shaft of golden light broke through the chink between two doors. AJ pushed the doors open and led them out into blinding sun.
As her eyes adjusted, Lani realized the roar of sound was the crashing of a waterfall. They now stood directly behind the flow of water as it cascaded down the hillside.
Lani stared at the wall of water. Tiny droplets splashed her face and arms. “It’s beautiful.” She had to shout to make herself heard. “I’ve only ever seen it from above.”
“Let’s go somewhere quieter,” murmured AJ in her ear. His hot breath on her skin made her shiver. Still holding her hand, he led her along a ledge of rock only a foot wide, then down a vine-covered hillside. The quiet rustle of the forest gradually replaced the rush of water over rock.
“Now I can breathe.” AJ stretched and turned his face to the sun, which shone down through the trees. “I don’t like living in a fishbowl.”
“I’d think you’d be used to it, living in L.A.”
“There you expect it when you’re out and about, but they don’t follow me home. I’m not that interesting.” He grinned.
“You’re apparently interesting enough to justify big travel budgets for all those journalists.”
“It’s not every day a B-movie director becomes king.” He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek. The soft touch of his thumb made her shiver with pleasure. “And marries his brother’s wife.”
She tensed at his words. “And they don’t even know about the baby. That would be quite a story.”
“One more reason to keep it our secret. Everyone should be allowed some secrets.” His fingers trailed down her back and his face hovered close. The scent of his skin, masculine and seductive, filled her senses. His lips met hers slowly, a soft collision, then they melted together.
Heat flooded through her as the kiss deepened. Her hands fisted in the soft cotton of AJ’s shirt. She probably shouldn’t be feeling desire, given the strange circumstances, but it pounded through her like a drum. Maybe all the years of pent-up longing, all the rejections and slights and hurts of her first marriage, had left her with a deep hunger.
She pressed herself against AJ, feeling her body mold to his hard chest. He groaned and his hands roamed down to cup her backside. He grew hard against her as arousal leaped between them like electric current.
“I am very attracted to you,” she whispered when their lips pulled apart.
AJ laughed. “I can tell.” He pressed another kiss to her moist lips. “And I like it when you’re really hot for me, not just trying to push me into bed to carry out a complicated plan.”
Lani blushed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. This is making up for it.” Her nipple thickened under his palm. “Come a bit farther into the jungle. If things haven’t changed too much, there’s a peaceful spot I remember.”
He led her through a semi-tangle of vines and spiky palms until they reached a huge fig tree. Its enormous violin-shaped leaves shaded out the hot sun; underneath them grew a lush carpet of soft moss dotted with tiny white flowers. AJ gestured for her to sit down.